Storm Dragons
The Storm Dragons are a loyalist space marine chapter created on the forest planet, Eriee (known to natives as Ka'Barr) during the 10th founding to secure neighboring planets only to realize the xeno threat that was present on Eriee. They take pride in their traditions and have a certain hate for Xenos who terrorized the tribes of Ka'Barr for centuries. They follow a variation of the Imperial Cult called the New Sun, which depicts an eternal sun as their god and the Emperor as a piece of the eternal sun that had broken off after Xenos attacked it. The Storm Dragons do not view the Emperor as a god rather the hand of God and a piece of the Eternal Sun itself, therefore, the Emperors word is law. They take pride in brutality during the battlefield this has led to the Storm Dragons isolating themselves away from other chapters, the so-called storm (a term commonly used for Storm Dragons in combat) is highly gruesome to the point where the enemy may begin to flee. However they also tend to take after the Salamanders, Ru, of the Storm saw a group of Salamanders saving civilians during a firefight with orks and it inspired him to begin a version of the New Sun where civilian lives were taken into account, this has led some trouble with older marines however newer ones seem to be handling it fine. It is officially unknown what gene-seed was used to create The Storm Dragons but it is highly suspected to be the White Scars due to cultural similarity. It is said that there is the storm in every one of the space marines and that its only a matter of time until the storm is let out. The Storm Dragons are known for their use of swords during combat along with their brutality. History The Storm Dragons were first created to ensure the Emperor's presence in the Eltor system, a planet system with three different planets, Hagorr a deserty hiveworld which relies on Hiskaar for resources which is a mining world rich of natural resources, the final planet in the system would be Eriee or to the natives Ka'Barr. Eriee seemed to be a suitable chapter planet with it being completely covered in forests and plains and the only sign of intelligent life being the Five Tribes of Ka'Barr which they would draw their recruits from. The Storm Dragons were founded during the 10th founding and were given the task to bring order to these three planets, however, it was soon discovered that a xeno threat was still present in Ka'Barr hidden away for centuries. The xenos returned from the depths of the planet to destroy it. War broke out on the front of Ka'Barr but the xeno threat was soon neutralized, or so they thought. At this time the Storm Dragons were spread thin due to the recent task was given to them, and the xenos struck attacking the Storm Dragons and almost crippling them, still, the war between the xenos and the savages continued until assistance from the Salamanders put an end to the xenos once and for all. The Storm Dragons were given time to recover and the Emperor's order returned to the Eltor system. That is until the T'au Empire came across the Eltor system and claimed it as their own. A fierce space battle left the Storm Dragons undermanned yet again, however when the T'au began to invade Ka'Barr they had been surprised by an ambush set up by the Storm Master, Rau. This was known as the first time the storm had been released and to this day it has been the most brutal one. The T'au were massacred in a gory barbaric style that made the rest of their forces flee. This victory would forever change The Storm Dragons. After the first storm, the Storm Dragons became more isolated from the Imperium and for many years they waited occasionally fighting orks or xenos in neighboring systems, however, the Storm Dragons would never stray far from their homeworld fearful of attack, however, this did not happen immediately, a war can be the cause of what is now known as the Storm Dragon Slumber. the Storm Dragons were called in to exterminate xenos in a nearby system, with the help of the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels. The war went according to plan until they were ambushed by xenos, this led to the death of a favored Storm Master, Rau. The battle was bloody and brutal, the Storm Dragons took heavy losses and at the end, they blamed the Space Wolves because of this. The slow decline of the activity of The Storm Dragons was noted and eventually, it got to the point to where they would only battle if neighboring systems were threatened or if they were given a direct order too. the Storm had been labeled too chaotic and incompatible with other groups of humans and the gene-seed of the Storm Dragons was discontinued, however, there have been rumors of chapters being created with the gene-seed before it was initially outlawed. Yet the slumber was not a complete loss of time, during the Slumber the Storm Dragons developed a new Codex, the New Sun Codex which followed similarly follows the Codex Astartes however it adapts to fit the culture of Ka'Barr and to make sure rivaling tribe conflict would not carry over into the duties of the space marine. The New Sun Codex follows rituals that involve burning incense once a day to pay tribute to the Eternal Sun and God's hand the Emperor, sacrificing native animals to give gifts to the eternal sun, and sharpening your blade so you can smite the Emperor's enemies. The New Sun Codex allows occasional visits to the Five Tribes of Ka'Barr however due to oolitic secretion The skin of a Storm Dragon is a pale white leaving a ghost-like impression on tribals so it is often avoided. In M.41 the Storm Dragons awoke from their slumber, serving the Emperor ever since. Chapter Homeworld The Eriee or known to the natives as Kar'Barr is a planet filled with wildlife, forests, plains, tribals, and what is known to natives as the Tsuko or "Rock Rain". The Tsuko is an environmental event that happens between the changing of seasons in the Eriee. Rain pellets the size of rocks begin to pour down as lighting darts across the sky. Natives find shelter until the rain passes, which is usually around two to three hours or they risk getting hit by the Tsuko which will leave bruises on your skin and can even kill. After each Tsuko the Ceremony of Sacrifice is held warriors from each tribe fight to the death for the entertainment of the Eternal Sun. It is here where the Storm Dragons pick their new recruits, the winner out of each fight is guaranteed a spot however if an opponent survives and is unable to fight they have three days to recover but they get sent into the process regardless. The Natives call this "Grashka" or enlighted path. The Eriee is known for its lack of oceans, having only rivers run through the green planet which makes them look like veins. In the depths of the forests, you will find bodies of xenos and T'au lay to waste along with initiates who failed to become space marines. Recruitment Process The beginning of the recruitment process for the Storm Dragons begins the day after the Tsuko where the most ferocious warriors from each tribe fight to the death for the 'entertainment' of the Eternal Sun in what is called the Grashka tournament. However, all of these contestants (usually around 300-400) are accepted and if they are injured and unable to fight they are permitted to join the process but must prove themselves giving three days to recover but most of the wounds given to a fallen opponent, if not fatal, will severely damage them forcing them to become serfs of the chapter. Rarely, if low on recruits the Storm Dragons will take initiates from Hagorr and Hiskarr, however, it is rare that any of these initiates pass. Once the Grashka tournament has been completed, and initiates are given three days of rest intense training begins which includes mastering the bolt gun and constant practice with ranged combat. The Storm Dragons also heavily include brutal melee combat sessions where if you fall behind you are sent to become a serf. After the Training period, these surviving initiates are given a marksmanship test, which requires you to be able to fire to up to 900 meters, along with a melee test which requires you to disarm a Storm Dragon during melee combat. If you succeed you are given a bolt pistol and a melee weapon of your choice and you are sent to bring back the head of a Graskor, three-headed giant snakes (similar to the size of a Lemen Russ Battle Tank) which live deep in the forests of Ka'Barr. They are banished from The Valaki and banished from their tribe until they come back if its seen they have failed they will become serfs. If they succeed they will be rewarded and become a Storm Watcher and receive Adeptus Astartes implants when needed. You also begin training with a Storm Sword, an extremely light power sword these swords are usually decorated at the hilt with signs of honor and trophies from the battlefield. Once officially apart from the chapter, they are given the choice of advanced training with a bolt rifle, or another weapon of their choice. Fortress-monastery The Valaki is the fortress-monastery for the Storm Dragons located on Ka'Barr. Located on one of the few mountains of Ka'Barr the Valaki has arena's towering into the skies and deep dark cellars filled with chapter history. The Valaki is home to the unique fighting style called Ke'noto a fighting style using a modified power sword called a Storm Sword. This style of fighting uses lightning-fast reflexes and an abundance of stamina. It takes years to master and it can only be fully mastered at the Valaki by a Stormsman of the Sword who are the sacred defenders of the Valaki and Ka'Barr they have dedicated their lives to this art. The honor guard is also present and the two groups often mix creating the Sword Guard. The Valaki is also home to one of the few forces that have been modified to produce Storm Swords for it is a cultural practice that requires many days of constant prayer to complete a full Storm Sword. Occasionally a Storm Dragon who practices this art of swordplay may include a bolt pistol. The Storm Master, a position as the leader of the chapter, where he dedicates his life to the Chapter, Ka'Barr, and the Emperor's will. His Storm Sword is placed in the center of the Grand Hall, the common meeting place for inhabitants of the Valaki. Only he can remove it in times of great peril or if needed elsewhere to remove the Storm Sword is to provoke heresy within the Storm Dragon ranks. It is said that only the Storm Master and the Emperor himself could remove it, but the Emperor has little time for the Ka'Barrian culture so it is up to the Storm Master to guide his chapter in the Emperors will. Heraldry and Livery The official chapter Heraldry is a black dragon over a yellow sun or a lightning bolt (which resembles the wrath of the Eternal Sun) and is usually placed on the left shoulder pauldron. It is a highly honored symbol for the Storm Dragons, for wearing a portrait of the eternal sun is only for the most enlightened. However only in M.39 did it come into use, leading to the end of the Storm Dragon Slumber before it being a black dragon. The development of the New Sun Codex has led to the change of the chapter heraldry a lot, companies have disbanded forming Storm Clans with around 150 marines each, in total five Storm Clans were formed. These individual troops included apothecaries, shaman, and various machinery. This has led to the Storm Clans taking up special sigmas on their right knee pad and a different color for the left shoulder pauldron. The older a Storm Dragon gets the colors of his power armor begin to mean more to him, a Storm Clan symbol which is usually made up of a number of swords pointing up at the sky and another number of swords overlapping pointing to the left. This reflects the culture of a tribe of Ka'Barr, having the New Sun Codex applied to the Storm Dragons, the tribes have begun to see as these symbols as heavenly signs and apply them to their tribe. For example, the tribe Ja'Praak (which translates to Red Leaf) have taken up the symbol of three swords facing straight up into the air and two overlapping, which is the symbol of the Third Storm Clan, the Red Swords. Storm Dragons in the Red Swords may even decorate their swords with red dye to show their lineage of the Red Leaf Tribe. The Storm Dragons sword arm is a different color than the rest of his armor, usually yellow (in rare cases, black). This is because of a legend that has been told to every Storm Dragon for centuries, the story of Reagaar of the Storm. the first Storm Master (a Storm Master has the role of a chapter master). The Story begins with xenos terrorizing the five tribes of Ka'Barr until they mustered up the strength to drive them into a cave and trap them there. However it did not last forever and eventually, the xenos had escaped but they were too late, the Eternal Sun had blessed Ka'Barr with the defenders of god; the Storm Dragons. Reagaar of the Storm led his chapter into battle and it is said when he raised his Storm Sword Tsuko fell upon them and a lightning bolt hit the sword sending lightning through the body of Reagaar which made his hair turn white. They vanquished the xenos and saving Ka'Barr from doom. From then on the sword hand of any Storm Dragon is yellow. Notable Campaigns, Wars, and Conflicts War for The Eriee (Unknown Date.M36) The first encounter the Storm Dragons had with the xeno threat on the Eriee, This led to the story of Reagaar of the Storm and the reasoning behind the yellow arm on the Storm Dragon armor. Reagaar of the Storm and the Storm Dragons had driven back the xenos and they were thought to be vanquished. As a reward, the Storm Dragons were given the Eltor system to defend. Xenos Return (943.M36) The xenos had returned to strike down the Storm Dragons, and if it weren't for the Salamanders they would have. The expansion to Hiskaar and Hagorr put a strain on the Storm Dragon numbers and they were easily at a disadvantage, but the Storm Dragons held their ground and suffered severe casualties because of it, such as the first Storm Master, Reagaar of the Storm. This led young Rau of the Storm to take the title of Storm Master. From now on the Salamanders are looked at with high respect in the Storm Dragon culture. The xenos had gone extinct due to the combined forces of the Salamanders and the Storm Dragons, and the Storm Dragons returned to spreading order across the Eltor system. Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Geneseed Category:10th Founding